Rugelach: 12 Flaky Rolled Cookies Grandma Baked for Hanukkah and the Christmas Cookie Tin

Rugelach are the little rolled cookies that disappear first from every holiday cookie tin, and once you bake a batch at home you will understand why. These flaky crescents come from Ashkenazi Jewish baking in Central and Eastern Europe, and the Yiddish name is usually translated as “little twists.” In America, bakers began folding cream cheese into the butter dough in the twentieth century, which made it tender, tangy and almost impossible to mess up. Today the cookie shows up on Hanukkah tables in early December and on Christmas trays a few weeks later, often right beside the Hanukkah desserts families have made for generations. Below you will find the classic apricot walnut version plus eleven fillings and shapes, each with a short ingredient list and simple steps..

Classic Apricot Walnut Rugelach With Cream Cheese Dough

This is the rugelach most grandmothers taught first: a soft cream cheese and butter dough rolled thin, brushed with apricot jam, then showered with chopped walnuts, cinnamon and sugar. Each wedge is rolled from the wide end into a small crescent, so the jam caramelizes at the edges while the layers puff and flake. Bake a double batch, because they keep for days in a tin and taste even better on day two. Pair them with other jam-filled holiday cookies on the same tray for a bakery-style spread that always gets compliments..

You will need: 1 cup soft butter, 8 oz soft cream cheese, 2 cups flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 2/3 cup apricot jam, 1 cup finely chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 egg for brushing, coarse sugar.

How to make it: 1. Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth, add flour and salt, and divide the dough into four discs; chill 2 hours. 2. Roll each disc into a 9-inch circle, spread thinly with jam and sprinkle with walnuts, sugar and cinnamon. 3. Cut into 12 wedges and roll each from the wide end toward the point. 4. Brush with egg, sprinkle coarse sugar and bake at 350F for 20 to 22 minutes until golden.

Old Bakery Cinnamon Sugar Raisin Crescents

Before fancy fillings arrived, neighborhood bakeries sold trays of small crescents packed with cinnamon sugar, plump raisins and a little chopped nut. They are humble, fragrant and perfect with coffee. The history of the cookie, from Eastern European kitchens to American bakeries, is nicely summed up on the rugelach Wikipedia page. Many families still bake these by the hundred for wedding cookie tables and holiday gift boxes, since they freeze beautifully and travel without breaking.

You will need: 1 batch cream cheese dough, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 3/4 cup raisins, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 3 tbsp melted butter, 1 egg.

How to make it: 1. Soak raisins in hot water for 10 minutes, drain and chop roughly. 2. Roll the chilled dough into circles and brush with melted butter. 3. Scatter cinnamon sugar, raisins and walnuts, cut into wedges and roll into crescents. 4. Brush with egg and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes.

Jerusalem Bakery Style Chocolate Rugelach (Yeasted)

In Israel, rugelach are usually made with a soft yeasted dough rather than cream cheese, so they bake up fluffy, glossy and pull apart in buttery strands. Bakeries in Jerusalem stack them in tall piles and brush them with sugar syrup the moment they leave the oven, which gives that shiny, sticky finish. The flavor is close to a miniature chocolate babka, only quicker to shape and much easier to share. Eat them warm if you can.

You will need: 4 cups flour, 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 cup warm milk, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup soft butter, 1 cup chocolate spread or melted chocolate with cocoa, simple syrup.

How to make it: 1. Knead flour, yeast, sugar, milk, eggs and butter into a soft dough; rise 1 hour. 2. Roll into rectangles, spread chocolate filling and cut into long triangles. 3. Roll into crescents, rise 30 minutes, then bake at 350F for 15 to 18 minutes. 4. Brush with simple syrup straight from the oven.

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Swirls

This is the version that racks up millions of views on short cooking videos: a generous swipe of chocolate hazelnut spread rolled into flaky dough, sometimes with toasted hazelnuts for crunch. The spread melts into the layers and creates dark ribbons in every bite. Keep the layer thin so it does not leak, and chill the shaped cookies for 15 minutes before baking. They fit right in with other Christmas chocolate desserts and are a favorite with kids who usually skip the nut cookies.

You will need: 1 batch cream cheese dough, 3/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread, 1/2 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts, 1 egg, 2 tbsp sugar.

How to make it: 1. Roll chilled dough into circles and spread thinly with the chocolate hazelnut spread. 2. Sprinkle hazelnuts, cut into 12 wedges and roll up tightly. 3. Chill 15 minutes, brush with egg and sprinkle sugar. 4. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes until deep golden.

Raspberry Almond Rugelach With Powdered Sugar

Raspberry jam and almond are a classic pairing, and in rugelach the tart berry cuts through the rich butter dough beautifully. Stir a little almond extract into the jam, then press sliced almonds on top before baking so they toast to a light gold. A dusting of powdered sugar at the end makes them look ready for a bakery window. If you love almond cookies, this flavor will quickly become a holiday favorite in your home.

You will need: 1 batch cream cheese dough, 2/3 cup seedless raspberry jam, 1/2 tsp almond extract, 1/2 cup sliced almonds, 1 egg, powdered sugar.

How to make it: 1. Mix the jam with almond extract. 2. Roll the dough, spread the jam, cut into wedges and roll into crescents. 3. Brush with egg and press sliced almonds on top. 4. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes, cool and dust with powdered sugar.

Prune and Plum Jam Horns, the Old Country Cousin

Long before apricot became the standard, many Eastern European families filled their rolled cookies with thick prune butter or plum jam. Polish bakers make a close relative called rogaliki, and old Catskills bakeries in New York sold prune horns that look almost the same. The deep, not-too-sweet filling tastes wonderful with a cup of tea. If you enjoy Polish Christmas cookies, try these with homemade plum jam or a jar of prune butter from the baking aisle.

You will need: 1 batch cream cheese dough, 3/4 cup prune butter or thick plum jam, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1 egg, powdered sugar.

How to make it: 1. Stir cinnamon into the prune butter or plum jam. 2. Roll the dough, spread the filling, add walnuts, cut into wedges and roll up. 3. Brush with egg and bake at 350F for 20 to 22 minutes. 4. Cool and dust lightly with powdered sugar.

Mini Chocolate Rugelach by the Tray

Walk through a market bakery in Jerusalem and you will see whole sheet pans of bite-size chocolate rugelach lined up in neat rows, sold by weight. Making them mini is the easiest way to feed a crowd: cut the dough circles into 16 wedges instead of 12 and bake them a few minutes less. A pile of these next to a platter of crispy latkes is a simple, generous way to celebrate Hanukkah with friends and family.

You will need: 1 batch yeasted or cream cheese dough, 1 cup chocolate filling (melted chocolate, cocoa, sugar and butter), simple syrup or egg wash.

How to make it: 1. Mix melted chocolate, 2 tbsp cocoa, 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tbsp butter into a paste. 2. Roll the dough, spread the filling and cut each circle into 16 small wedges. 3. Roll up, place in tight rows on lined trays and bake at 350F for 14 to 16 minutes. 4. Brush with syrup or leave plain.

Cranberry Pistachio Crescents for the Christmas Tray

Red cranberries and green pistachios make this version look festive without a single drop of food coloring. A thin layer of orange marmalade holds the filling in place and adds a bright citrus note. These are the cookies people ask about at holiday parties, and they look stunning on a platter with slice-and-bake icebox cookies. Use unsalted shelled pistachios and chop them coarsely so the green color shows through the spirals after baking.

You will need: 1 batch cream cheese dough, 1/2 cup orange marmalade, 2/3 cup chopped dried cranberries, 2/3 cup chopped pistachios, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, coarse sugar.

How to make it: 1. Roll the dough and spread a thin layer of marmalade. 2. Sprinkle cranberries, pistachios and sugar, then cut and roll into crescents. 3. Brush with egg and add coarse sugar. 4. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes and cool on a rack.

Halva and Tahini Rugelach With Sesame

Tahini and crumbled halva give rugelach a nutty, toasty flavor that is popular in modern Israeli bakeries. The filling is just tahini sweetened with honey, plus small pieces of plain halva that melt slightly in the oven. A sprinkle of sesame seeds on top adds crunch. Serve these after a spread of Mediterranean share plates, or with strong coffee. Stir the tahini well before measuring, because the oil separates in the jar.

You will need: 1 batch cream cheese dough, 1/2 cup tahini, 3 tbsp honey, 3/4 cup crumbled plain halva, 1 egg, 2 tbsp sesame seeds.

How to make it: 1. Whisk tahini and honey until smooth. 2. Roll the dough, spread the tahini mixture and scatter halva crumbs. 3. Cut, roll into crescents, brush with egg and sprinkle sesame seeds. 4. Bake at 350F for 18 to 20 minutes.

Poppy Seed (Mohn) Crescents, the Old-School Favorite

Poppy seed filling, called mohn in Yiddish, was a staple in Ashkenazi baking long before chocolate became common. Simmering the seeds with milk, honey and a little lemon zest makes a dark, sweet paste that looks striking in the spiral. These sit happily beside classic New York bakery cookies on a holiday platter. Buy ground poppy seeds or pulse whole seeds in a spice grinder so the filling is smooth and spreads evenly.

You will need: 1 batch cream cheese dough, 1 cup ground poppy seeds, 1/2 cup milk, 1/3 cup honey, 1 tsp lemon zest, 2 tbsp butter, 1 egg.

How to make it: 1. Simmer poppy seeds, milk, honey and butter for 8 minutes until thick; add lemon zest and cool. 2. Roll the dough, spread the filling, cut and roll into crescents. 3. Brush with egg and bake at 350F for 20 minutes. 4. Cool completely before storing.

Bakery Case Rugelach Next to Bourekas

In Israeli and New York Jewish bakeries, rugelach share the glass case with flaky savory bourekas, cinnamon buns and chocolate croissants. Seeing them all together shows how one simple rolled pastry became a bakery icon: sweet, small, cheap and easy to grab by the handful. Even a famous New Yorker or two has admitted to a weakness for them. At home, bake a mix of two or three fillings on one tray for the same bakery-case look.

You will need: 1 batch cream cheese dough, 3 fillings of your choice (chocolate, cinnamon sugar, jam), 1 egg, coarse sugar.

How to make it: 1. Divide the dough into three parts and fill each with a different filling. 2. Roll into crescents and mark each flavor with a different topping (sugar, nuts, sesame). 3. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. 4. Arrange in rows on a large platter.

Make-Ahead Tip: Freeze Shaped Cookies and Bake From Frozen

The best holiday secret for these cookies is that the shaped, unbaked cookies freeze perfectly. Line them up on a tray, freeze until firm, then pack them into bags for up to three months. When guests are coming, bake them straight from the freezer and add three or four extra minutes; they taste exactly like a fresh bakery batch. It is one of those smart baking hacks that makes a busy December much calmer.

You will need: Shaped unbaked cookies of any flavor, parchment-lined tray, freezer bags, 1 egg for brushing.

How to make it: 1. Freeze the shaped cookies on a lined tray for 2 hours. 2. Transfer to labeled freezer bags and freeze up to 3 months. 3. Place frozen cookies on a lined tray, brush with egg and add sugar. 4. Bake at 350F for 23 to 26 minutes until golden.